Vegan MoFo: An overdue Thanksgiving Meal

I had to get this post in before this glorious month of vegan eatery is finished. I told you guys before Thanksgiving what my menu was and I stuck with it, right down to the last crispy onion atop my atop my green bean casserole.

Aside from the dessert, a double-layer pumpkin cheesecake from Fatfree Vegan, my entrée and side dishes all came from Rhymes With Vegan. A "turkey" roulade made from seitan and tofu, a green bean casserole with a homemade, soy milk based cream of mushroom soup, and a corn pudding, or scalloped corn. I also used her recipe for Grandpa Earl's stuffing. Bangin'!

Some thoughts- We all know the most glorious thing about a Thanksgiving meal is the abundance of leftovers. What to do with those leftovers? Tybrus made a quick Tofurky fajita dinner one evening that was wonderful! He seasoned the leftover tofurky with lime, chipotle powder, and cumin.

Gardener's Pie topped with Mushroom Miso Gravy

Yes, I am aware of the season and that the combination of sultry heat and overbearing humidity do not exactly make lengthy cooking endeavors involving a stove very desirable. However, who doesn't love a good gardener's pie? Seriously, who doesn't love a mashed potato topped casserole containing green, beans, and protein-s?

I was lazy in making this dish that I opted to spend the extra cash and use Gimme Leans soy crumbles instead of hydrating TVP or lentils. I usually don't make gravy for my gardener's pie, but I developed quite an obsession with miso gravies. It's been my go-to gravy for seitan cutlets, biscuits, you name it. I recently tried a variation with scallions. In this recipe, I threw in the remaining two tablespoons of dehydrated ramps I had gotten from Tyb's parents. Ramps, glorious ramps.

Gardener's Pie topped with Mushroom Miso gravy

5 medium red potatoes, washed and quartered
2 tbs olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 package Gimme Lean soy crumbles
1 stalk broccoli
1 1/2 cups kale
1 tsp thyme
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley

Preheat over to 450 degrees. Boil potatoes in salted water on a large stock pot until they are easily pierced with a fork. Drain potatoes and reserve 1 cup of the cooking water. Prepare mashed potatoes according to your own personal recipe. (I like mine creamy for gardener's pie, so I add 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water. Plus, that's where all the nutrients are, silly!)

Now begin the filling! Sauté garlic and onion in olive oil on medium heat until onion becomes translucent. Add carrots and celery and sauté for an additional 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients along with the remaining 1/2 cup potato cooking water and cover. Cook for about 20-25 minutes. Prepare a baking dish with olive oil and spoon filling on to baking dish, covering the bottom. Next, spoon on mashed potatoes and smooth out as to completely cover the filling. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until your potatoes turn golden and roasty.

Mushroom Miso Gravy

1 tbs olive oil

6-8 baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp dried dill

1 tsp onion powder

1-2 tbs red miso paste

1 tbs soy sauce

1 cup water

Sauté mushrooms in oil until they become soft. Add dried herbs and sauté for another minute. Add miso, soy sauce, and water and whisk until miso is completely dissolved. Reduce heat to simmer and stir continuously until gravy is thick.

Tomato Basil Cream Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti with Seitan Sausage

Yes, this meal was a mouthful, in regard to the title and nom factor. I've recently developed this obsession with blending tomatoes and cashews together. I would like to eventually experiment with other nuts, though. Heh, heh, experimental nuts.

My mom sent me home the other day with not only a belly full of BBQ tempeh, roasted potato medley, and green beans, but she sent me home with a load of fresh herbs from her garden. All the basics: chives, thyme, rosemary, sage, cilantro, and basil.

I recently bought the Vegan Yum Yum cook book, and I gotta say, it f*cking rules. There are several recipes that weren't on the site, and as the cover suggests, these are definitely decadent AND very doable recipes. Meaning I want to make sweet, sweet love to her baked macaroni and cheez recipe.

The tomato basil cream recipe sounded delicious and simple for sure, but I wanted to up the ante with some forbidden wheat gluten: Italian-style seitan sausage. I altered the recipe found in La Dolce Vegan and let it simmer in the tomato cashew sauce with some fresh basil.

This was the first time I ever tried spaghetti squash, and holy sh*t. The squash's innards just collapse into this stringy mass of, well, squash noodles. They have a nice crunch that nicely contrasts the typical texture of spaghetti noodles. Also, quite a few less carbs.

Chik'n and Dumplings

Dumplings, glorious dumplings! I got this recipe from Vegan.Chicks.Rock. It was delicious, comforting and reminded me of dumpling days of yore. In addition to the celery and carrots, I added an onion and a cup of frozen peas. I made my own seitan chick'n and added some of the remaining broth from it to the broth for the dumplings. That was probably my only criticism of the recipe, the fact that there weren't any herbs added to the dumplings. Whatever, it was so delicious my boyfran was compelled to give me the greatest food compliment ever.*

"I didn't think I could love you more than I already did, but then I ate your dumplings. These would make Christ come off the cross."

*This is not counting the time my coworker told me I made O-face-inducing German chocolate cupcakes. Just sayin'.

Rainy day potato and leek soup

Fun fact about me: I've never cooked with leeks before. Weird, huh? They struck me as a tad intimidating and forced me to pose a series of questions: Do you use the whole thing? Is it like some big green onion? Why can't you use the green part? Would it greatly affect the taste of my meal if I did use the green part? It seems so wasteful not to use the green part. How potent are they? etc. Anyway, this soup was good and perfect for this rainy weather we've been having. I topped my soup with some dried ramps that Tybrus' mom gave to us last summer and some Daiya cheddar.

Potato and Leek Soup

2 leeks, sliced (pale green and white parts only)
1 tbs olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic
3 potatoes, diced
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 large sprig fresh dill
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried parsley
1/3 cup soy milk/cream
salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot on medium heat saute the leeks and garlic in oil for about 3 minutes. Add potatoes and saute for another three minutes. Add remaining ingredients except for soy milk and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer an cook until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. (About 20 minutes.) Blend have the soup with the soy milk. Add blended mixture back to the pot and reheat. Recommended toppings: ramps, soy cheese, croutons, etc.

Bow Ties with Broccoli Pesto

Greetings, all! Just thought I'd share a simple and delicious recipe with you that I found in this month's issue of Veg Times. The whole theme of this month's issue was to incorporate more broccoli into your diet. (As if that's a challenge... pfft.) The first thing I thought when I tasted this recipe was, "This is the ideal recipe to trick your kid into eating their broccoli." Though, I gotta tell ya', as a kid I never understood why broccoli was the dreaded vegetable. I tagged this recipe as pretty innovative because I had never thought to make a pesto with anything other than a green leaf of some kind. You obviously can't tell the difference in texture because it's pulverized. Tybrus and I topped it with some shredded Daiya mozarella. NOM. (More to come on our most recent Vegan Essentials purchase!)

Bow Ties with Broccoli Pesto

6 tbs blanched hazelnuts, plus more for garnish (I used walnuts because they're cheap)
2 cups broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups parsley leaves (I used 4 tsp dried parsley)
1/4 plus 2 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup mint leaves
4 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp lemon zest (I ommitted)
1 1/2 tsp capers, rinsed and drained, optional
5 large garlic cloves, peeled
12 oz farfalle pasta

Toast hazelnuts in skillet 3-5 minutes. Cool, chop, and set aside. Bring large pot of water to boil and blanch broccoli. Rinse, drain, and cool. Pulse broccol, nuts, parsley, mint, lemon juice, zest, garlic, and oil until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook farfalle according to package directions. Reserve 1/4 cup of cooking water before draining. Mix pasta, pesto, and cooking water. Garnish with nuts/cheese and serve.

20 Minute Paella

I haven't had paella since I was about eight years old. My dad's mother is from Spain and it was a common meal when I dined at her home. I'd been craving it for a while, but when Tybrus and I made the holy pilgrimage to our favorite Asian market and found saffron for wickedly cheap, I decided making it was essential. I used couscous because I was impatient.

20 Minute Paella

1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
2 tsp turmeric (or saffron if ya' got it)
2 tsp paprika
1 cup peas
1 cup couscous
1 cup vegetable broth
1 15 oz can artichoke hearts
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan on medium heat, saute the onion and garlic until onions become translucent. Add bell pepper and saute for another 5 minutes. Add spices, tomatoes, peas, couscous, and broth and reduce heat to low. Before covering arrange artichoke hearts in a visually pleasing way. Let paella cook for 5 minutes and drizzle with lemon juice.

Veg-Billy Hotdogs!

I am referring to these as veg billy hot dogs to pay homage to Huntington, West Virginia's one unique dining experience, Hillbilly Hot Dogs. I've never dined at this restaurant, not even when I was omnivorous. I've always been a bit creeped out by hot dogs in general, but when you pile crap on them like eggs or pizza toppings, you have officially triggered my gag reflex. Still, I think it's pretty awesome that there is actually a unique place to eat in Huntington, despite the fact that it has an overall unhealthy menu and very limited vegetarian options.

Anyway, these hot dogs weren't anything too outrageous. Ty made a nice, simple slaw to top 'em off with and I made some sauce to go on top. It consisted of TVP, kidney beans, cumin, turmeric, paprika, veg broth, and tomato sauce. I haven't perfected the measurements yet so no recipe. Obviously things got a little messy while eating so I ended up finishing my meal with accidental chilli fries. Delicious.

"Yeah, that vegan vomit."

Ah, vomitty tomato sauce. No, it doesn't taste a bit like regurgitation, but it certainly would look the same going down as it would coming back up. Lindy Loo even said so in her post. This was a wildly easy recipe. I used cashew butter instead of the raw cashews and cut the amount of water in half. I served my sauce on these really neat spinach spaghetti noodles I found at my local convenient mart. I just described something as neat. I definitely recommend this if you're lazy and feeding a large crowd. Or, if you're just sitting at your apartment, wearing sweat pants and cozy socks, drinking tea, and watching a Charlton Heston movie.

Sundried tomato and mushroom risotto.

Before I get to the deliciousness that was my risotto creation, I would like to share a tale of turmoil and heartache with you. Last night I had a craving for something maple and mustard glazed. I figrued tofu would be the perfect way to remedy this craving undoubtedly brought on by my lady week. I had drained some tofu a couple of days before and decided I was going to an fry it in my cast iron skillet and just pour the maple mustard glaze atop. Negative. Now, I'm no newb to cooking, but needless to say the tofu fell apart in the griddle. I attempted to salvage what wad left in a nonstick pan, but it turned into a scramble like consistency with a sweet maple glaze. Yuck. So what's the point, you ask, of this woe-ridden tale of tofu betrayal? Shit happens. You never stop learning in the kitchen and I hope that people who are new to vegetarianism or veganism know this and don't give up too easily. Also, try to avoid cooking something without a recipe when you're a raging ball of menstruation.

Anyway. This was my very first risotto attempt. Ever. Big stuff. You're witnessing history in the making. My main inspiration was this recipe, but just sundried tomatoes? I think not. I had a ton of white mushrooms that were about to go bad, so I figured that a risotto would be the perfect way to use 'em up.

Sundried tomato and mushroom risotto

1 onion, minced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup arbrorio rice
8 oz white mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes
1 bunch of fresh spinach
1-2 tbs dried parsley
2-3 tbs dried basil
1 tsp dried sage
salt and pepper to taste
broth measurements are going to very

In a large saucepan on medium heat, saute onions and garlic until onions become translucent. Be careful not to burn your garlic. Then add your mushrooms and saute until they start to give off juice. Add dry rice and coat with oil. Then add 1/2 cup veg broth and stir. When it starts to absorb add another 1/2 cup broth and the rest of the ingredients. Continue to stir occasionally and add broth in 1/2 cup increments. When rice is al dente and broth is mainly absorbed, stuff ya' face. I topped mine with some soy parmesan. Lovely.

Four meals: all delicious.

Recently, I became an avid follower of a food blog called Healthy. Happy. Life. The recipes are so delicious and simple. I stumbled upon it in cyberspace while searching for a good mashed sweet potato recipe. This was the recipe I found. It was awesome because it allowed me to find the lemon pepper tempeh recipe, as welll, which was based loosely on the new Tempehtations, which I'm too cheap to buy. I ended up not really following her recipe for the sweet potato mash, but everything was delicious. Accompanied by roasted garlic asparagus.

Ty's parents recently began receiving free subscriptions of Vegetarian Times. I was elated to hear this. Ty's parents send the issues to us after his mom gets the chance to write down some of the recipes she wants. This was a recipe for Rigatoni Puttanesca. (Obviously I used bow ties.) It called for half a tube of Gimme Lean Soy Sausage and it was great. The recipes in Veg Times are great because they usually only make two servings, and I'm typically only feeding two.

After receiving the aforementioned free issues of Veg Times, I rediscovered the occasional joy of making something overtly complicated and a little less instant. Behold Vcon's Baja Grilled Tempeh Burritos. My alterations: green cabbage instead of purple, fresh jalapenos instead of pickled, PBR instead of dark beer. What can I say? I'm a class act.

I saved the most comforting for last. Country Fried Seitan with mashed potatoes and more roasted garlic asparagus. With the exception of the asparagus, I would say this is your standard down-home Southern meal. The broth I used for my seitan was the "chicken" one found in La Dolce Vegan! I think the gravy came from Vegweb, or something..

Let me know if you want recipes!

I do, on occasion, wish that I had multiple sets of parentals.

The meal pictured above brings about such thoughts. Let me start from the beginning: my boyfriend has the most awesome parents in the world. They're complete foodies (just like me.) Every meal his mother has ever cooked for me has been delicious times twelve. During one of our weekend visits there, his mother conjured up a recipe for seitan wellington with a red wine gravy. It was godly. She also made us some vegan stuffing, equally as delicious.















Then for dessert, his mother made phyllo tarts- berry with Toffutti cream cheese filling and an apple walnut one. Alright, these weren't exactly for dessert, they were much more like finger food to snack on while the real meal was being prepared. I like the way that woman thinks.

Shepard's Pie

This was my first time cooking/eating shepard's pie, vegan or otherwise. I had no idea what I was missing out on. It is simply the perfect comfort food. In preparation for this meal, I had skimmed through various shepard's pie recipes on the interwebz. This recipe is an adaptation of on I found on VegWeb and from It Ain't Meat Babe. Enjoy!

Loaded Shepard's Pie
5 russet potatoes
1/2 red onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, sliced or shredded
1 bunch of kale, chopped
4 oz. mushrooms, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
2 tsp basil
1 cup Morning Star crumbles or TVP
3/4 soy milk
1tsp cornstarch
1 tsp flour
1 tbs nutritional yeast
salt and pepper, to taste

Wash, peel, and boil potatoes, as you normally would mashed potatoes. While potatoes are boiling, saute onion and garlic in some olive oil on medium high heat until translucent. Add remaining vegetables and bay leaf. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Alow vegetables to wilt a bit. Add soy crumbles and remaining spices and cover. When crumbles are soft, add soy milk, conrstarch, yeast, and flour. Mix well and allow to boil. Prepare an 8 x 8 baking dish. Spoon vegetable filling into dish and flaten. Do the same with potatos. Sprinkle some oregano and thyme on top. Broil for 4 minutes. Stuff face.

Breaded Seitan Cutlets with Sauteed Asparagus

These cutlets tasted like the ones Dave and I had at Blossom. They were good, but I'll admit I should have let them cool longer. It would have had a better texture. This was my first time cooking asparagus and I was pretty thrilled with it. I sauteed it in EVOO and some minced garlic. Topped with sesame seeds and nom nom nom.